In his younger days, Lowery helped lead the Montgomery bus boycott, headed the Alabama Civic Affairs Association, led the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, and co-founded groups including the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and the Black Leadership Forum.

Decades later, Lowery has still remained active in the civil rights movement and advocates for racial justice, human rights, and world peace.

Last year, Lowery was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, considered the highest civilian award in the United States.

During the award presentation, Obama described Lowery as “a giant of the Moses generation of civil rights leaders.”